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App Data Breach Claims

If your personal data has been exposed in an app data breach, we can help you to claim compensation.

Apps are an everyday part of modern life which we often give little thought to. But in many cases, we are required to share highly sensitive personal information with the apps we use, including our name, address, date of birth and payment details.

If that information is exposed in a data beach, it can have very serious consequences. You could find yourself at risk of fraud, as well as having to deal with significant worry and emotional distress.

The developers of any app that collects, processes and/or stores your personal data have a legal obligation to keep that data safe. This is covered by the Data Protection Act 2018, which is the UK version of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Failure to keep your data safe is a breach of the Data Protection Act and you can hold the app developer to account for this.

So, if you have suffered financial damage, emotional distress, or a loss of privacy due to breaches of the Data Protection Act 2018 involving an app, you have a right to claim compensation.

Why work with Hayes Connor? We’re the data breach experts

At Hayes Connor Solicitors, data breach claims are all that we do. Unlike most other firms, we are experienced specialists in this niche area of law, with one of the largest teams of data breach experts in the UK.

You deserve to feel like your claim is in safe hands, being handled by experts who fully understand what you are going through and how to help make things right. We know how worrying and stressful dealing with a data breach can be, so we will work closely with you, keeping the process as simple and straightforward as possible.

We’ll explain everything in plain English and keep you up to date on progress at all times, so you’ll never be left confused or wondering what is happening or what you need to do next.

And, of course, we have an excellent track record of success in securing maximum compensation for our clients – usually without the need for contentious court proceedings.

See what our clients say about working with us

We offer no win, no fee funding for your app data breach

Where we believe you have a case for claiming app data breach compensation, we may be able to act for you on a no win, no fee basis, removing any financial risk from the process of making a claim.

Start an app data breach claim today

Think you are entitled to compensation for an app data breach? Use our simple and secure online claim form to share the details of your situation and we will get back to you shortly to let you know whether we can help.

To speak to a member of our team now about what to do if your personal details have been exposed in an app data breach, please call us on 0151 363 5895.

Click here to read on.

App data breach FAQs

The organisation behind the app has a legal duty under the terms of the Data Protection Act 2018 to notify you if your data may have been exposed in a data breach.

However, you cannot rely on this as organisations do not always meet this legal obligation and, even if they do, the relevant messages can easily be missed.

Often, victims of a data breach will only hear about it when an organisation is fined by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

If you think you may have been the victim of a data breach (e.g. you are suddenly getting more spam emails and/or cold calls) you can check with haveibeenpwned.com to see if any emails you use have been compromised in a data breach.

If you are not sure whether your personal details have been misused or mishandled, our data breach experts can find this out for you.

Where an app or the organisation behind it has failed to comply with its obligations under the Data Protection Act 2018 leading to your personal data has been exposed, you will be owed compensation – even if you have not suffered any specific harm due to the breach.

When a suspected data breach occurs, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) will carry out an investigation. ICO will determine whether the Data Protection Act has been breached. This gives a clear legal basis for anyone wishing to pursue a claim, but does mean you will normally need to wait for the result of ICO’s investigation before making a claim.

If you want to find out whether you may be owed compensation for an app data breach, you can use our simple and secure online claim form to share the details of your situation and we will get back to you shortly to let you know whether we can help.

Or, if you want to speak to a member of our team, please get in touch.

This will depend on the impact of the breach. You do not need to show that you have suffered any specific harm to be entitled to compensation, but you will normally be able to claim more if you can show that you have experienced one or both of the following:

Financial losses

For example, if your financial details were fraudulently used to make payments or take out credit in your name.

Distress

For example, if the stress of a data breach has left you with difficulty sleeping, feeling ill, unsettled and/or confused.

The standard time limit to make any type of data breach claim is 6 years.

Please note: this 6-year time limit is counted from when you first become aware of the data breach (or should reasonably have been aware of it). This is usually when the organisation behind the app notifies you of the breach.

We always recommend contacting us as soon as possible if you think you might have been the victim of a data breach, but even if you think the time limit has passed, please do get in touch as the time limits can be complicated, so you might still be able to claim.

The organisation behind the app have a legal duty to inform the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) following a breach. If you have been notified by the company behind an app about a breach, they should already have contacted ICO, but it is a good idea to check.

If you believe you have been the victim of fraud following a data breach, you should report this to the police and Action Fraud.

Following a data breach, ICO will recommend actions for the organisation responsible to take to reduce the risk of future breaches. Sadly, these recommendations are not always acted upon, so there is no guarantee your data would be any safer with the same organisation in future.

If you are concerned about whether an app is keeping your data secure, an obvious option is to delete the app. However, you need to check the app’s terms and conditions to make sure that your data will be deleted when you delete the app.

If you have any concerns about your data being retained after deleting an app, you should check what options the app has for deleting your data and contact the company behind the app to ask for your data to be deleted if required. This is something our team will be happy to advise you on.

How to stay safe following an app data breach

Where you are concerned that your personal details have been exposed in an app data breach, the following steps can help to minimise any risk of further harm:

  1. Contact your bank or credit card company – if you believe your financial details may have been exposed.
  2. Change your passwords – both on any affected accounts and anywhere else you’ve used the same ones.
  3. Get up to date cybersecurity software – this can protect you from being targeted by any cybercriminals who get hold of your data.
  4. Register with the Cifas Protective Registration service – they’ll make sure extra checks are carried out if anyone tries to take out products or services in your name.
  5. Report the breach to the Information Commissioner’s Office – they can investigate how the breach happened and take action against the organisation responsible.
  6. Speak to a data breach expert – as well as telling you if you’re entitled to compensation, they can also advise you on having your data removed, so you aren’t at risk from future breaches at the same company.

Find out more about what to do if your data has been stolen in a data breach.

Start your app data breach claim today

At Hayes Connor Solicitors, we help you to claim compensation and steer you through the aftermath of an app data breach – minimising the impact on you as much as possible.

Simply use the link below to start your claim or you can call us on 0151 363 5895 to discuss your situation.

With strict time limits in place for making an app data breach claim, it’s important to act now to make sure you don’t miss out on your right to compensation.

You can find out more about our expertise and how we handle claims here. To have your claim assessed for free, you can use our secure online claim form. Or to speak to a member of our team, please do not hesitate to give us a call on 0330 041 5137.